1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roller moving apparatus for moving a roller, and more particularly to a roller moving apparatus that can be effectively applied to replacement of various rollers of a dampening unit and an inking unit of a printing press.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an inking unit or a dampening unit, for example, of a printing press, when an ink form roller or a dampening form roller, which is located furthest inward within a frame while being adjacent to a plate cylinder, is to be replaced, very troublesome work is involved in removing the roller from the inside of the frame and in placing a new roller at a predetermined position within the frame, since a number of other rollers and component members are present within the frame and located on the outer side of the ink form roller or the dampening form roller.
In order to cope with the above problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2000-94648, for example, proposes a roller support apparatus configured as follows. Arms are rotatably attached to corresponding shaft end portions of an ink oscillating roller. Distal ends of the arms are caused to support an ink form roller. Air cylinders are connected to corresponding proximal ends of the arms. When the ink form roller is to be replaced, the air cylinders are activated to thereby rotate the arms, whereby the ink form roller is moved to a position convenient for replacement.
The roller support apparatus described in the above patent publication is configured such that the ink form roller is moved by rotating the arms about the corresponding shaft end portions of the ink oscillating roller located adjacent to the ink form roller. Since the ink form roller cannot be moved to a great extent, very cumbersome work is involved in removing, from the arms, the ink form roller that has been moved to the replacement position, and in attaching a new ink form roller to bearings provided on the corresponding arms.